Chief executive Glenn Douglas says he wants the trust to listen more

The rally was to discuss cleanliness as well as proposed changes to services at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS.

Dennis Fowle, who organised the demo, said it would be "constructive". Trust chief executive Glenn Douglas said he welcomed the opportunity to listen.

It coincided with a disclosure that two people had been sacked at the trust.

Care standards inquiry

On Monday, the trust revealed that two healthcare assistants who had worked at Maidstone Hospital had lost their posts.

And two more people, a staff nurse and another healthcare assistant at the Kent and Sussex Hospital in Tunbridge Wells, had been disciplined. They will remain at the trust.

The actions followed an investigation into care standards, a spokesman said.

The sanctions came in the fall-out of a damning Healthcare Commission report into two outbreaks of the deadly superbug at the trust's three hospitals.

It is up to us, hopefully with the help of the local community, to put forward a constructive future for Maidstone Hospital Glenn Douglas

At least 90 patients died between 2004 and 2006, caused by a "litany" of errors in infection control, the report said.

Ahead of Monday night's rally, Mr Fowle said: "Maidstone has been very concerned about the deaths and the appalling situation in Maidstone Hospital.

"Maidstone feels that its hospital has been pillaged and raped by the NHS trusts over the last two years. It has been treated very poorly.

"We want to see an end to that and we want to see Maidstone serving its population well on a local basis."

Maidstone NHS Trust chief executive Glenn Douglas said: "The most important thing is that it [the meeting] gives me an opportunity to listen to people.

"One of the culture changes I want to put in place in the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells trust is to be in the listening mode so that we can understand people's concerns and address wherever possible these concerns."

He added: "I agree with Dennis that there is a clear identifiable strategy for the future of Maidstone Hospital.

"It is up to us, hopefully with the help of the local community, to put forward a constructive future for Maidstone Hospital."